Advanced Marketing Management

: Steps of Qualitative research process with an

example

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6. What are the steps used for qualitative research Process? Explain
with an example?

A) Marketing research is the function that links the consumers, customers

and public to the marketer through information. This information is used
to identify and define marketing opportunities and problems, generate,
refine, and evaluate marketing actions, monitor marketing performance,
and improve understanding of marketing as a process. Like the way you
can group usability testing methods, there are also several ways to
segment qualitative methods. A popular and helpful categorization
separate qualitative methods into five groups: 
 ethnography
 narrative
 phenomenological
 grounded theory
 case study

The qualitative research process, end-to-end

Step 1: Determine what to research.
Step 2: Identify how to research it.
Step 3: Get buy-in and alignment from others.
Step 4: Prepare research.
Step 5: Execute research.
Step 6: Synthesize and find insights.
Step 7: Create research outputs.
Step 8: Share and follow up on findings.

This type of marketing research is usually based on opinions, beliefs and

intentions and answers questions such as “why?”, “how?” or “would?”.
This type of research aims to understand why customers behave in a
certain way or how they may respond to a new product or a service.
Focus groups and interviews are common methods used to collect
qualitative data.
Marketing Research is systemic and objective?
Systematic planning is required at all the stages of the marketing research
process. The procedures followed at each stage are methodologically sound,
well documented, and as much as possible, planned. Marketing research uses
the scientific method. The scientific method means that data are collected and
analysed to test prior notions or certain hypotheses.

Steps of marketing research

Step 1: Problem Definition:
First and foremost, the problem itself along with the research objectives should
be defined. Along with this, one should also consider the purpose of the study,
the relevant background information, what information is needed, and how
exactly that information is used in decision making. This stage also involves
detailed discussion with decision makers, interviews with industry experts or
even getting to know the opinion of experts in the form of focus groups. There
are typically three kinds of research that may be enumerated:
a. Exploratory research: Wherein the researcher conducts detailed research
about his/her dataset to gain a better understanding of the same and may also
interview experts for the same purpose. Essentially the problem is defined in
this stage.
b. Descriptive research: Used to describe a particular situation/dataset. It can
typically answer what/when/where/how questions but not “why” questions.
c. Causal research: This is mainly used for testing cause and effect relationships.
Step 2: Development of an approach to the problem defined:
This step includes formulating an objective or a framework, research
questions/hypotheses and identifying characteristics or certain factors that can
influence the research design. These can be the independent variables or the
extraneous variables also. This process is usually guided by discussions with
management and industry experts.
Step 3: Research design formulation:
A research design is a framework or a blueprint for conducting the overall
marketing research project. It details the procedures necessary for obtaining the
required information.
Step 04: Data collection/Field work:
Field work or data collection involves exactly what it states: that is, the
collection of data by several tried and tested techniques like: mall intercept
interviews/focus groups/in-home interviews/virtual teleconferencing
interactions etc. In marketing research, an example of data collection is when a
consumer goods company hires a market research company to conduct in-home
ethnographies and in-store shop-along to collect primary research data.
Step 5: Data preparation and analysis:
Analysis of data is a process of inspecting, cleaning, transforming, and
modelling data with the goal of highlighting useful information, suggesting
conclusions so that crucial business decisions can be reached.
Step 6: Data preparation and presentation:
During the report preparation and presentation step, the data should be
presented in such a way that all decision makers can easily comprehend the data
so presented. While collating/preparing and presenting data it should be kept in
mind that data visualization should be very much lucid for both the subject
matter experts as well the spectators who are not very well versed with hard-
core research terminologies.

A formal research report presentation typically includes the following: -

• Table of Contents
• Executive Summary
• Background
• Research Objectives
• Research Methodology
• Highlights of Fieldwork Data Collected
• Appendix (including Respondent Screening Instrument and Questionnaire)
• Findings/Insights
• Recommendations/Implications and Action Plan.

Real life examples: -

One Plus:
When it came to marketing their first phone, OnePlus decided to adopt an
audacious and slightly maverick strategy. They offered the gadgets to
consumers by invite only to spur a sense of exclusivity and demand. The invites
were available through online contests and referrals from existing OnePlus
customers.
Smartphone brand OnePlus has once again emerged as the market leader in the
Indian premium smartphone segment with garnering 34 per cent market share in
the April-June quarter, according to a report by Counterpoint Research.
Apple:
Apple uses marketing research to improve their products by getting customer
feedback and they also try to keep a good relationship with their customers by
pleasing them and keeping them up to date with their products and informing
them if there’s any new updates available for them. These research results are
then put into use by the research and development department who then
transform these data and related findings to reality. Their Apple Customer Pulse
research group is a prime example. Apple uses online surveys thus making it
very easy for them to compile data points that are gathered. In addition, the
surveys/questionnaires are also very easy to administer without having to travel
places.

References / Sources of Information: -

 https://www.surveypolice.com/blog/how-5-massive-companieschanged-using-
market-research
 https://blog.flexmr.net/31-inspiring-market-research-quotes